[GRLUG] Is ITT Tech a Good School?

[Mike Williams]

I did the college thing for a few years right out of highschool, but 
wasn't ready for it at the time. After 10-15 years of muddling around 
without a degree I went back, and I will graduate with a Bachelors in IT 
(specialization in security) in about 2 months. I chose University of 
Phoenix's online program for the flexible scheduling, because they've 
been doing online longer than most other schools, and because their 
program is aimed at teaching adults. My experience has been generally 
positive, although marred by technical issues early on and a curriculum 
dispute more recently.

In my opinion, higher education does not so much "teach" as "certify 
that you learned." In a traditional liberal arts program teaching 20 
year old students that might be less true, but the responsibility for 
learning falls on the student not the university.

When choosing a school that you will be giving a pile of money to, ask 
some very good questions about accreditation. There are national and 
regional accreditations, and if a school doesn't have both then look 
elsewhere. U of P has both and is still looked down on by many 
organizations, and a degree from a school that doesn't have its 
accreditation is basically useless. Years ago, ITT was in that 
"unaccredited and useless" category, but I don't know if that has 
changed. To those who say bad things about U of P, I admit that they 
practice open admission (basically, they'll take anybody as a student) 
but they don't give out good grades just for showing up.

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